New Trend Of Payments Via Messenger Apps

We have discussed about banks adopting social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to transfer money. To take it a step further, money transfer service has been enabled through social messaging apps such as WhatsApp, WeChat, Snapchat, BlackBerry Messenger and others. Earlier, these messenger apps were used only to chat with friends and family; but now, the trend has shifted from mere chatting and sharing pictures and videos to transferring money. Here are some prominent use cases highlighting the power of messaging platforms to enable mobile payments.

Ping Pay by Axis Bank:

Ping Pay by Axis Bank is a multi-social payment app that lets users to send or request for money and mobile recharges across Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, SMS or e-mail. Ping Pay allows Axis Bank or non-bank customers to recharge, send, receive or request money from the members in their friend list without the need for bank account details. The service allows users to enter desired messages, videos or voice notes with the money transfer.

To use the Ping Pay service, users can register their bank account details on Ping Pay and link their account. Users can add multiple accounts and choose the account to send or receive money. The service allows users to transfer money up to Rs. 50,000 per day.

To ensure secure transactions, Axis Bank monitors the SIM and the mobile device when the transfers take place. The bank’s stringent lock service is used immediately if the transaction seems to be insecure.

BBM Money:

BlackBerry Messenger accompanied with Monitise and PermataBank has developed a person-to-person money transfer service called BBM Money. BBM Money is developed by Monitise and issued and managed by financial institution PermataBank. It will be available from this year for Indonesian customers using BBM on Android, BlackBerry and iPhone. BBM Money was initially made available in 2013 to BlackBerry users, offering basic mobile wallet services.

Facebook Messenger:

The service allows customers to connect Visa or MasterCard debit card with Facebook Messenger. After connecting with the cards, users can click on the “$” button and enter an amount to transfer money to friends on iOS, Android, and Windows with zero fees. The money will be instantly transferred from their debit account and delivered to the recipient’s account. Users can view their previous transactions in the, “Payments History” section in the messenger’s settings tab. Facebook Messenger payments will be available in the US. To enable secure payments, users are requested to set an in-app payments passcode or Apple Touch ID (fingerprint recognition) to confirm transfers. In any case, if a transaction seems suspicious, certain security questions are asked before being allowed to complete the transactions.

LINE Pay:

LINE, a popular mobile messaging platform in Japan, introduced LINE Pay which allows users to make secure payments using the LINE app after linking it with a credit card from American Express, Diner’s Club, JCB, MasterCard or Visa.

LINE Pay supports payments for stickers and themes in the LINE Store. But it’s planned for expansion to also support online and in-app purchases, brick-and-mortar store payments and peer-to-peer money transfers.

LINE’s mobile messaging service has over 181 million active users globally and is popular in Japan, Taiwan and Thailand.

WeChat:

Tencent’s WeChat allows users to transfer money to their WeChat contacts. Users can deposit money from their bank accounts into the My Wallet feature. The advancement in the app allows for purchases within the app, and also allows customers to hail and pay for taxi service.

Dasher:

Dasher, a popular messenger service, has integrated its service with Venmo to enable peer-to-peer money transfer through the chat service. To make payments, users can click the “Pay” button,enter the amount and send the money.

Snapcash:

Snapchat has partnered with payment-processing company, Square, to launch a new money transfer service called Snapcash that allows users to send and receive money directly from the app. Snapcash allows Snapchat users to enter the amount into a private message and transfer the money into the recipient's preregistered account with the touch of a button. The service is currently limited to Snapchat users in the United States who are 18 or older and own a debit card.

As a security measure, Snapchat has emphasized that no personal financial data will be stored on Snapchat's servers. Square will be responsible for storing all user bank and debit card information and for handling transactions.

Shubha has deep interest in studying the intersections of the physical world with the digital world and writing about it. She is a techno-commercial person, a gadget freak and she has worked at Amazon in the past.

Don't Miss Out

Subscribe to MEDICI's (Global Fintech) Insights Today!

All ﬁelds are mandatory

First Name*

Email Address*

Company*

Title*

Role*

By checking this box you confirm that you have read and agree to MEDICI’s Terms of Use and that you have read MEDICI’s Privacy Policy, and you would like to receive our newsletter as well as other information about our and our Business Partners products/services, events, news, and offers.*